Well-rounded

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Fable...if you can ignore the pre-release
hype, you?ll find a well-rounded role-playing
game.

Fable

Runs on: Xbox

Price: $99.95

Classification: M15+

Rating: * * * *

Disregard anything you may have heard about Fable during its
long development. Many of the groundbreaking features that were
promised turned out to be impossible without running the game on a
NASA supercomputer. Not to mention the fact that it would have
taken a couple of decades to implement them all.

However, if you can ignore the pre-release hype, you'll find a
well-rounded role-playing game (RPG) that's basically
innovative.

At first glance, Fable seems to follow the conventions of a
standard RPG to the letter. Starting off as a weak peasant, you'll
find the inevitable slaying of your family sends you on a quest of
vengeance. Along the way you'll learn new skills, stock up with new
booty and partake in dozens of interesting quests.

There's a heavy emphasis on combat and on building your
character up to the point where you're a hero to be reckoned with.
Sounds pretty stock standard for an RPG, doesn't it?

It's not until you start listening to the characters around you
that you'll notice Fable's true calling card. These simple folk
aren't quite as simple as they first appear.

They have a memory and will react very differently to you
depending on what you've been up to. Play the part of the bad boy
and the citizens of the world will cower in fear when you approach.
Act like the Dalai Lama and you'll be everybody's best friend. This
effect breathes real life into the world of Fable, in a way that
the genre hasn't had before.

Yet the moral decisions you make are a little too black or
white; there are none of the grey areas that could make things more
interesting. This simplicity, however, is not so basic that regular
fans of the genre won't have a ball.

Endgame: Good or evil - in Fable it's all up to
you.

Mortal Kombat: Deception

Runs on: PS2 and Xbox

Price: $99.95

Classification: MA15+

Rating: * * * *

When it comes to bucketloads of blood and gore, Mortal Kombat
has always stood decapitated heads and bruised shoulders above the
other fighting games. Deception is no different but throws in more
than a few new changes to round out the biffo within.

The core of the game is still standard 3D fighting, with only a
few minor changes over the last gruesome incarnation. Players can
now use the breaker move to bust through previously unstoppable
combination moves, while the introduction of hara-kiri (suicide
moves) allows you to escape the humiliation of one of 48 different
fatalities.

A number of mini games have also been inserted. Konquest, which
was included before, is a cross between an adventure game and a
tutorial, and while it's certainly innovative, does get rather
tiring fairly quickly due to its simplicity.

Chess Kombat is a variation on standard chess. Try to take a
player's piece and the

game switches to the fighting view, although the attacker
receives a substantial health boost. Puzzle Kombat is a direct copy
of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, which plays very much like a
competitive Tetris. Line up enough blocks of the same colour and
your fighter will automatically smack your opposition into next
week.

The most impressive feature of the game is the ability to play
online against others. Considering the extremely fast response
times needed for a fighting game, it's amazing how smoothly the
online mode plays. It's just as responsive as it would be if you
were playing with a pal sitting next to you, which is an astounding
achievement. Our only gripe is that the game still isn't up to the
high presentation levels of Dead or Alive 3, a game that is
approaching its third birthday.

Endgame: Bloodier and more brutal than the rest
but not necessarily better.

Game preview

Gran Turismo 4

Runs on: PS2

Prepare for the most realistic and demanding driving simulation
money can buy. To be released on December 14, Gran Turismo 4 will
become the benchmark for all driving games.

GT4 features astonishing depth, with more than 50 circuits and
650 cars. Tracks include both fictional and real-world courses,
including the 21-kilometre Nurburgring, the toughest circuit in the
world.

The range of meticulously detailed vehicles is staggering and
includes concept cars, historical vehicles from as far back as 1886
and highly customised street racers with superchargers.

More than 80 manufacturers are represented and there are many
dream rides, including unreleased cars such as the Mazda6 MPS, BMW
M5 and Ford GT. Aussie heroes include the Falcon GT and Holden
Commodore.

The problem with Gran TurismoÕs quest for realism is the
game becomes too demanding for the average punter. As a concession,
many driver assist functions can help beginners, even on cars that
would normally not have such features fitted. Anti-lock brakes,
traction control, active stability and active steering provide a
more elegant method of letting beginners enjoy the game than having
artificial ÒeasyÓ settings.

A new B-spec mode has also been designed for novices. Like an
interactive replay, users simply direct how aggressive the
computer-controlled driver should be as the car winds around the
circuit.

For experts, new Mission Races will provide a challenge. Players
might have to start a second or even a full lap behind the leader.
And a new high score system reflects whether the playerÕs
car provided an advantage or disadvantage for each race and awards
points accordingly.

Embarrassingly for Sony, online support has been dropped. But
users can link up to six consoles for multiplayer action. Fans can
also share pictures of their favourite vehicles taken in the
surprisingly addictive Photo mode. - Jason
Hill